Apparatus for production of electrical conductors



K. H. ANDREN Aug. 24, 1965 APPARATUS FOR PRODUCTION OF ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS 17 Sheets$heet 1 Original Filed April 26, 1962 INVENTOR KARL H. ANDREN zzegen 8- m ATTORNEYS.

K. H. ANDREN Aug. 24, 1965 APPARATUS FOR PRODUCTION OF ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS 1'7 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed April 26, 1962 INVENTOR.

KARL H. ANDREN ATTOR N EYS.

4, 1965 K. H. ANDREN 3,201,848

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCTION OF ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS Original Filed April 26, 1962 17 Sheets-Sheet 3 I nun-Ilium I Ill-Ill] Fit" 111 .HH HL dlll h' A W I INVENTOR- KARL H.ANDREN ATTORNEYS.

4, 1965 K. H. ANDREN 3,201,848

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCTION OF ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS Original Filed April 26, 1962 17 Sheets-Sheet 4 xii? - MIN .11... ll

INVENTOR. KARL H. ANDREN ATTORNEYS.

g- 24, 1965 K. H. ANDREN 3,201,848

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCTION OF ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS Original Filed April 26, 1962 17 Sheets-Sheet 5 I 23/ 7g 233 if INVENTOR.

KARL H. ANDREN BY I &

ATTORNEYS K. H. ANDREN Aug. 24, 1965 l7 Sheets-Sheet 6 Original Filed April 26, 1962 w w 5, l 0 Z K o w. M +51 w 5 y 2 7 I LN..- 1 125m N of a 2 E0 7 a 4. 3 3 v. m m m 2 a z a w w. 8 Z 2 A 7 INVENTOR.

KARL H. ANDREN ATTORNEYS.

4, 1965 K. H. ANDREN 3,201,848

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCTION OF ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS Original Filed April 26, 1962 17 Sheets-Sheet 7 M1 "UH 'IH .IH "III HHW' INVENTO KARL H. ANDREN ATTORNEYS.

4, 1965 K. H. ANDREN 3,201,848

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCTION OF ELECTRICAL GONDUCTORS Original Filed April 26, 1962 17 Sheets-Sheet 8 INVENTOR. KARL H.ANDREN mam ATTORNEYS.

Aug. 24, 1965 K. H. ANDREN 3,201,343

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCTION OF ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS Original Filed April 26, 1962 17 Sheets-Sheet 9 ljt,j3 KARL H.ANDREN WQW ATTORNEYS.

Aug. 24, 1965 APPARATUS FOR PRODUCTION OF ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS Original Filed April 26, 1962 17 Sheets-Sheet 10 ATTORNEYS.

4, 1965 K. H. ANDREN 3,201,848

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCTION OF ELECTRICAL GONDUCTORS Original Filed April 26, 1962 17 Sheets-Sheet 11 1223, L? 724 ||I| "HI" .I

T l I hni M I a 25 l4 [a as INVENTOR. KARL H. ANDREN M "rueew- ATTORNEYS.

4, 1965 K. H. ANDREN 3,201,848

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCTION OF ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS Original Filed April 26, 1962 17 Sheets-Sheet 12 INVENTOR. KARL H. ANDREN ATTORNEYS.

Aug. 24, 1965 K. H. ANDREN 3,201,848

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCTION OF ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS Original Filed April 26, 1962 17 Sheets-Sheet 13 VIIMIIEFLYIIIIIIIII 1161 Li I 300 n a 4 5 a E] wgf g a I 'IIIIIIIIIIIIIJ INVENTOR. K AR L H. ANDREN ATTORNEYS K. H. ANDREN Aug. 24, 1965 APPARATUS FOR PRODUCTION OF ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS l7 Sheets-Sheet 14 Original Filed April 26, 1962 INVENTOR. KARL H. ANDREN M8TUIF ATTORNEYS 4, 1965 K. H. ANDREN 3,201,848

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCTION OF ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS Original Filed April 26, 1962 17 Sheets-Sheet 15 INVENTOR. KARL. H.ANDREN 2' a a 'zz ATTORNEYS.

Aug. 24, 1965 K. H. ANDREN 3,201,348

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCTION OF ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS Original Filed April 26, 1962 17 Sheets-Sheet 16 E INVENTOR. KARL H-ANDREN mrn w ATTORNEYS.

K. H. ANDREN Aug. 24, 1965 APPARATUS FOR PRODUCTION OF ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS 17 Sheets-Sheet 17 Original Filed April 26, 1962 INVENTOR. KARL H. ANDREN ATTORNEYS United States Patent '12 Claims. (Cl. 2933) The present application is a division of applicants copending application, Serial No. 190,402, filed April 26, 1962, and relates primarily to the provision of an improved apparatus for rapidly and accurately producing successive electrical conductor cords of diverse kinds from a continuous supply wire.

This invention relates generally to improvements in the art of producing electrical conductors from cord wire stock, and it relates more specifically to an improved apparatus for accurately manufacturing conductors of various types and lengths from continuous cord wire in rapid succession.

A number of different kinds of machines for producing various types of electrical conductors from cord wire have heretofore been proposed and used quite extensively, but due to the tremendous demand for such conductors and to the fact that the conductor requirements are becoming more intricate and that successive conductors of each type must be produced identically and with utmost precision, these prior mechanisms have failed to meet all of the commercial demands and requirements. In these so-called electric cords, two or more insulation-coated wires have plastic coatings which are molded together laterally, and in order to properly apply terminals of various types, the coating at the opposite ends of each cord wire must be slit to separate the individual strands and usually the in sulation must also be removed at these wire ends before the terminals can be attached thereto. The terminals used in these machines are fed into the attaching mechanisms in the form of strips from which the individual terminals must be severed as required.

Most of the prior conductor cord producing machines have been restricted either to applying a terminal only to one end of each wire or cord, or to the opposite ends of a single wire only. With the priormachines wherein aterminal was attached to each end of a single wire, these terminals were also applied successively in the same operating zone, thereby materially limiting the speed of operation and the capacity of the machines. Then, too, in all prior machines, the terminal attaching zones were very restricted as to sizes and types of terminals that could be attached therein, and none were capable of applying several different kinds of terminals to each of the opposite ends of a cord. With the restricted attaching zones of the previous mechanisms, it was extremely diflicult to feed long ground pin terminals into proper position for attachment with required accuracy and at high speed.

The present invention therefore contemplates the provision of apparatus whereby higher speed of production is made possible with far greater accuracy and range of control, and which is also elfective for producing conductor cords having predetermined lengths adjustable dur ing normal operation which could not be accomplished with any prior apparatus.

In attaining these objects, an apparatus is provided which includes wire clamping and conveying mechanism for predetermined wire lengths in which laterally spaced clamps for receiving and gripping spaced portions of the wirelengths are advanced in single file succession, and the invention also contemplates feeding means which includes a gripping device operable to draw predetermined "ice lengths of wire from a supply reel past a cutting zone and for thereafter bringing the trailing end and the leading end of the severed wire length into laterally spaced juxtaposition within adjacent clamps.

A clear conception of the construction and operation of a typical machine embodying the invention and adapted for elfecting automatic production of electrical conductors from cord wire may be had by referring to the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate the same or similar parts in the various views.

FIG. 1a is a side elevation of the front half of a commercial machine for producing electrical conductor from cord ribbon;

FIG. 1b is a side elevation of the rear half of the same machine;

FIG. 2 is an end view taken from the left of the same machine as viewed in FIGS. 1a and 1b;

FIG. 3a is a top view of the front end of the machine, a partial section having been taken along the line E--E of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3b is a top view of the rear end portion of the machine with .a small portion thereof broken away;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged horizontal section through a portion of the same machine, viewed from the left and taken approximately along the line A--A of FIG. 1a;

FIG. 5 is a similarly enlarged horizontal section through the machine, also taken along the line AA of FIG. la showing the mechanism in one position;

FIG. 6 is a similar section taken along the line AA but showing the mechanism in another operating position;

FIG. 7 is also a similar section taken along the line AA, but also showing the mechanism in still another operating position;

FIG. 8 is a vertical section through the machine taken along the line B-B of FIG. 1a but with some parts omitted for the sake of clarity;

FIG. 9 is a more complete vertical section taken along the line C-C of FIG. 311, but showing the mechanism at a dilferent time from that of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a longitudinal vertical section through the rear of the same machine, taken along the line D-D of FIG. 3a;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged fragment of a portion of the mechanism shown in section in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is an enlarged section taken horizontally through the upper conveyor driving gear box of FIG. 2, taken along the line KK of FIG. 13, and showing its internal mechanism;

FIG. 13 is a vertical section through the conveyor drive box of FIG. 12, taken along the line II of FIG. 2;

FIG. 14 is an enlarged top view of the lower variable speed drive box with top cover removed and with fragmentary sections as shown in FIG. 2, taken along the line HH thereof;

FIG. 15 is an enlarged side view of a fragment of the cord gathering mechanism shown in FIG. 1a behind other structure;

FIG. 16 is an enlarged transverse section taken along the line M-M of FIG. 1a, showing the cord clamping mechanism;

FIG. 17 is an enlarged part sectional side elevation of one of the cord length carriers;

FIG. 18 is an enlarged part sectional view of the cord end slitting and stripping unit of the machine taken ap proximately along the dividing line of FIGS. la and 1b;

FIG. 19 is a similarly enlarged end view of the unit shown in FIG. 18;

FIG. 20 is a likewise enlarged vertical section through the unit of FIG. 18 taken along the line HH of FIG. 18;

'1a to 3 and 16).

FIG. 21 is an enlarged end elevation of one of the terminal attaching devices and the driving cam thereof, taken along. the line GG of FIG. 3b; 7 r V FIG. 22 is an enlarged side View of the mechanism shown inFIG. 21; v v j FIG. 23 is, an endview of one typeof finished conductor collecting mechanism of theflmachine; FIG. 24 is an enlarged horizontal sectionflthrough mechanism of FIG. 23 taken along the line P-P; I 7

FIG. 25 is an enlarged vertical, transverse section through the mechanism of FIG. 23 -taken 'alon g the line RR; 1 4 FIG. 26 is an enlarged 'transversef vertical section through the conductor pick-up mechanism taken along the line.F.-F of FIG.; 23, showing thetr'ansferelements in final delivering position; I V

FIG. 27 is a similar section showing the transfer-elements in position ready to receive. a subsequentconductor;

FIG. 28 is another similar view showing the. position of the elements while, picking up. another completed conductor;

7 FIG. 29 is'a plan Yaw 6r drietyp'e of finished conductor the , 4 55 with a friction'disc 54 mounted on a drive shaft 60, which shaft also carries a one-Way clutch gear 61. The

' roller 55 is axially adjustable by means of a freely mountshowing various types, of terminals a-ttached to a ribbon V cord length;

FIGS. 30 to 37 show varioustypes of terminal strips which maybe fed into the machine to produce conductors of variouskinds; and a 2 e 1 FIG. 38 is a timing diagramfor themachin'e. 5 Referring to the drawings, the conductor. productio mechanism shown therein byway of illustration comprises. in. general, a cable. or com feeding device 10 adapted to withdraw-continuous cord stock 9 from a supply reel 8 a conveyo'rl'oading device -11. for actuating a cord stock transfer mechanism 12 with its gripper 231 (FIGS. 3a, 8, and 11); acord gatherer 17 for assisting in gathering cordstock 9withdrawn from -.the reel 8 (FIG. 15) a-sever'er 1.13jfor cuttingsuccessivepredetermined lengths .15 of cord stock 9 fromthe continuous supply (FIGS. la, 3a); an intermittently movable endless chain conveyor14 (FIGS. .1a,' 3a, 15, and 17) having edpositioning bar 56 movableby a screw'57 adapted to be rotatedby a handwheel 53 through a chain drive 58', andthe axial static friction pressure required is exerted by'set screw 62 pressing through the flatspring 63 .on the thrust and radial bearing 64. The one-way clutch 61 is adapted to drive a pair of intermeshing gears 70, 71' (FIGS. 2 and 14) which are drivingly connected through universal joints .73 and drive shafts 75 with a pair of pinch rollers journalled in levers 81 fulcrumed' on pivots 82 in a bracket 83 which is suspended from the channel bar 24 (FIGS-4; 5, 6, 7, 9, and 10).

The pinch roller supporting levers 81 are movable toward and away from each other by connecting rods attached togeared levers 91operable by a compression spring 92 attached to the channel bar 24 and which coacts with another connectingrod 93. attached to one of the levers 91 and to a bell crank 94 swingable about a fulcrum 95 carried by a bracket 96 on the channel bar 24 (FIG.. 10). The bell crank 94 is provided with a roller adapted to be engaged by a cam lug 101 on a cam 102 mounted upon the shaft 32 to momentarily separate thespring loaded pinch rollers 80 equidistant from the, opposite sides of the ribbon cord 9 through the linkage just described, and an attendant may also adjust the feeding length of the cord stock 9 by manipulating the hand attached to the endless chain conveyor 14.comprises a thereon a series of U-shaped carriers 20,"having a first cord gripping member- 19 and a second cord -grippi'ng f member 19', for gripping and carrying the opposite ends 16 of each severed cord length -l5in juxtapositionra number of interconnected cooperating units 21 disposed at.

different positions along the path er, advancement'o'f the cord carriers 20 by the conveyor 14, and being operable to. successively siit, strip, stagger,cut,iand attach various" types of terminals to both ends .16. of each fcord length 15; and mechanism forfinally removing the-finished con ductors at an unloading station 21f and for, depositing:

is attached.

' leader clamp 103 adapted to engage the leading end of i a' cord length and a trailer clamp 10,4 adapted to engage the trailing end of the same looped cord length after same hasrbeen severed from .the cord stock 9; and 'to firmly hold and carry these'two ends in juxtaposition (FIGS. 1b, '16, and .17), The two clamps'103,. 104.are interconnected by a frame 105forming two separate parallel guideways which engage the guide bar 25, and are rigid-v ly united byacentral part to which a short guide block 111 adapted to engage'the' other guide bar .25

E'aohof the carrier clamps 10-3, 104 is provided with a fixed anvil 112 and a slidingja-w 113 which is normally them into 'areceiver 22 adapted to be unloaded during 7 normal operation of the machine (FIGS. 1b and 3b).

The carriers 20 :are secured to the endless chain of the conveyor .14 equidistant apart, and' are adapted to, engage. fixed parallel guide bars 25, 25' secured-to a sturdy channel beam 24 firmly attached .with. spacers 23' to a main table frame 30 supported on--legs.. 26 (see FIGS.

operable from an upper drive box 33 :(FIGSI 2,12 and 13) mounted on spacers 36 carried by the frame 30, and is adapted to be driven by a' shaft 27 and intermeshing gears 28 whichware indexed bya,Genevaldr-ive 31 this shaft being locked duringthe dwell per'iod'=by a cam actu The conveyor 14'is. intermittently" drive shaft 41 and another belt drive 42 from' an electric motor 43 (FIGS. 2 and 3a). .7

The drive' shaft-41 is journalledin adower drive box' 50 also carried by the table 30; and provides-a variable speed friction drive for the cord feeding device 10'(FI GS.

3a and.l4), through bevel gears 5 1, adrive shaft 52, a

driving friction disc 53 coacting through a friction roller;

retained in'open position by a spring 114 and is confined .in a guide sl-ot.121 by' a cover plate 122.v The end of the slide jaw 11 3 nearest to the conveyor chain is provided with a notch 115 within whicha locking wedge 123 is slidably engaged .and tends to move outwardly under the influence, of a spring 124 coacting Witha cross bar.125, but

the Wedge is prevented from moving until'the end 116 of. the jaw 113 is pressed down uponv the yielding cord 15 whereupon the jaw 113 will be locked into thatv position by the wedge. .The card will thus remain clamped as compressed inthe leading jaw 103 until the carrier'20 arrives at the unloadingstation 21 whereupon the locking wedge is pushed back and thejaw 113 is released by its spring 114, as willbe laterdescribed. i a 7 Whenever the: indexing and transporting conveyor 14 has indexedthe advancing carrier 19 with a cable end 16' of a loop 15"which is: carried across the pathway of conveyor 14 from the supply reel 8 through a drag block 285 and between the pinch rollers 80 by the gripper 231, said conyeyor alsofadva'nces the second carrier 20 to a dwelling period in a first loadingfpo'sition for loading its leading clamp :103. Said clamp withits open jaws 112,

.113 has just received a .median portion of the cord 9 as will bedescribed later. The upper end 1160f this jaw 113 will then" be depressed by the spring loaded plunger to clamp and lock said cord 9 (*FIG. l7), and said cord will be severed by the severer'13. Said spring loaded plunger 130 is mountedron a lever 131 secured td'a'noperatin shaft 132'journa1led in.a"bracket'132 carried by the channel 24 (FIGS. 1a, 8; 9, and 10). The other end of this shaft'is secured-to a leverf133. connected bya drag link 134 to the upper end of a cam lever 135, the opposite end of which carries a roller adapted to engage a cam 136 and biased toward this cam by a spring 137. When the cord 9 has been severed, the end carried by the gripper 231 becomes the trailing end 16 of the new cord and this end 16 is turned around and inserted into the trailing clamp 104 to bring these cord ends into flat juxtaposition as will be described later. The end 116 of the clamping jaw 113 of the clamp 104 is operated in a similar manner .by a spring pressed plunger 140, a lever 141, a shaft 142,

lateral or side location of said cord. This cable support is adapted to swing in timed relation as indicated in dot-and-dash lines in FIG. 15, andis operable by a multiple linkage 152 mounted on the frame 30 which is actuated by an oscillatory shaft 153 cooperating through a spring biased pinion and rack 154 and with cam lever 156 with a cam carried by the shaft 32 (FIGS. 2 and 3a).

The cable cutting device 13 is also supported on the frame 30 and comprises a lower knife 160 mounted on a bell "crank pivoted on a shaft 161, an upper knife 162 mounted upon another bell crank attached to and swingable by a shaft 163, a spring 164 for urging the knives 160, 162 toward each other like a pair of shear-s, and a pair of links 165 connecting both knives with a slidable rod 166 (FIGS. 1a, 2, and 3a). The rod 166 is urged in one direction by a compression spring 167 to normally maintain the knives 160, 162 in open position, and this rod coacts through linkage 168 and a lever 169 fulcrumed on a shaft 171 with a cam carried by the cam shaft 32.

The conveyor loading device (FIGS. 4 to 11) is confined within a housing 175 having inverted U-shaped cross section and which is firmly secured to the channel bar 24. Two reciprocable racks 176, 176' are disposed within this housing 175 but have their supporting bearings 177, 1-78 mounted externally of the housing, and these racks support a grooved bar 179 which is adapted to engage a roller 180.

The racks 176 are reciprocable by pinions 181 secured to a drive shaft 182 journalled in the bearings 177, and the shaft 182 has a crank 183 attached thereto and which is operable by a link 184 connected to a cam actuated lever 185 fulcrumed on a shaft 186 and which is adapted to be actuated by a cam groove formed in one side of a rotary cam 187 (FIG. 2 and 3a). The opposite side of the cam 187 is'provided with another cam groove which coacts with a cam lever 192 also fulcrumed on the shaft 186 and which is connected by a link 193 with a rocker arm 194 secured to the upper end of an upright shaft 195 journalled in a bearing block 196 mounted upon the housing 175.

This shaft 195 has another rocker arm 197 with a contact surface 198 and is connected by a link 199 to another similar rocker arm 197 on an upright shaft 195 with a contact surface 198 (see FIGS. 4 to 7), the function of which will be later described.

The'lower portion of the housing 175 is provided with a guideway 205 and with gibs 206 (FIG. 10) adapted to cooperate with a reciproca-ble hollow frame shuttle 207 (FIGS. 8 and 9) which is operable by a link 208 connected to an end of a lever 209 '(FIGS. 3a and 5 to 7). This lever 209 has its opposite end welded to one end of a pivot bar 210 and is also firmly connected thereto by a brace 211, and this assemblage is mounted on a pivot pin 212 which projects at both ends through a stand 213 mounted upon the frame 30. The other end of the bar 210 is connected by a link 214 to a rocker arm comprising plates 215 and a hub 216, and these plates carry rollers 217 adapted to coact with a master cam 218 and a conjugate cam 219 mounted on the cam and indexing shaft 32 (FIG. 2).

The opposite end of the shuttle 207 (FIG. 4 to 8) is closed at the top and bottom and houses a shuttle arm 227, the medial portion of which passes through the hollow shuttle and is pivoted on a pin 229. The outer end of the shuttle arm 227 is bifurcated and carries a cord gripper 231 which is mounted for oscillation with an attached pinion 232 on a pin 233 carried by the member 230. The inner end of the shuttle arm 227 extends into the hollow shuttle 207 and carries a roller, the roller 180 coacting with the grooved bar 179. The cord gripper 231 together with its pinion 232 is movable between stops 240, 241, on the shuttle arm 227 of the shuttle 207, and the pinion 232 is rotatable by means of a rack 242 slidable along a grooved backing plate 243, and the end of the rack 242 remote from the plate 243 is supported and guided by a bracket 244 mounted on the shuttle arm 227. A spring loaded plunger 245 is also mounted on the arm 227 between the pivot 229 and the roller 180 and coacts with an abutment 246 on the rack 242 to alternately force the gripper 231 against the stops 2'40, 241 while this rack is being reciprocated by a depending pin 247 on the end of rack 242 contacting with the surfaces 198, 198 during reciprocation of the shuttle 207 by the drag link 208 (FIGS. 5 and 8).

The cord stock gripper 231 comprises a body252 having a gibbed guideway 253 coacting with a gripping slide 254 having a forked clamping foot 255 cooperating with a similarly forked plate 256 permanently attached to the body 252 (FIGS. 8, 9, and 11). The gripper is formed to straddle the path of advancement of the trailing clamps 104 of the carriers 20 secured to the conveyor 14, and the slide 254 projects upwardly within the guideway 253 and is adapted to be engaged to actuate the gripping foot 255 by means of a slide 257 slidably mounted in a plate 258 secured to the housing 175. The slide 257 engages the slide 254 so as to impart gripping pressure to the foot 255 against the cord stock 9, and the slide 257 is operably by a plunger 259 coacting with a strong spring 267 adjustable by means of a screw 260. The plunger 259 is mounted in a bell crank 261 which is pivoted in blocks 262 mounted on the housing 175 and is operable by a drag link 263 from a cam lever 264 cooperating with a cam lug 265, and this linkage is biased against the cam by spring 266 confined within the plate 258 as by a pin 266 (FIGS. 2, 3a, and 11).

The clamping pressure set up by the spring 267 is maintained in the cord gripper 231 by a spring pressed latch 271 coacting with a transverse key 272 permanently attached to the rear of the slide 254, and the assemblage remains clamped until the latch 271 operated by an in tegral projection 273 thereon is completely withdrawn from engagement with the key 272, when a spring 274 in a slot in the body 252 releases the slide 254 to open the gripping foot 255 and release the cord 9. This action takes place whenever the cord length 15 has been severed from the stock supply and the trailing end of a severed length has been swung around and inserted in the trailing clamp 104 of the first carrier 19 and clamped therein by the plunger 140. Another adjacent spring returned plunger 277 passing through a recess in a dowel block 278 mounted beneath the channel 24 will then be operated by a plate 279 so as to release the clamp slide 254 by pushing the lug 273 away from the cross key 272 (FIGS. 5, 6, and 7).

The plate 279 is firmly attached to an end of a slide 280 which is biased with spring 284 and is movable along the channel 24 and has its other end connected to the lower portion of a cam lever. 281 fulcrumed medially on the front end of the shaft 95 .while its upper end carries a roller 282 coacting with a cam 283 on the shaft 32. (FIGS. la, 2, and 3a). The ribbon cord 9 which is withdrawn from the reel 8 is initially guided by a grooved pulley 7 and is thereafter threaded through a drag block 285 mounted on 'a bell crank 286 pivoted on the frame 30 and which is operable by linkage 288 from anend 

1. APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING ELECTRICAL CONDUCTOR COMPONENTS COMPRISING, A SUPPLY SOURCE FOR A CONTINUOUS STRAND OF INSULATED WIRE STOCK, A CONVEYOR MOVABLE ALONG A GIVEN PATH AND PROVIDED WITH A PLURALITY OF WIRE CARRIER CLAMPS SPACED IN SINGLE FILE ALONG THE PATH, A WORK STATION LATERALLY OF SAID CONVEYOR ON ONE SIDE OF SAID PATH, MEANS FOR WITHDRAWING WIRE FROM SAID SUPPLY SOURCE AND FOR FEEDING THE SAME TO ONE OF SAID CARRIER CLAMPS FOR GRIPPING THEREBY, MEANS FOR SERVING THE GRIPPED PORTION OF THE WIRE INTO A PREDETERMINED LENGTH, AND MEANS FOR FEEDING THE SERVED END OF THE WIRE LENGTH TO AN ADJACENT CARRIER CLAMP FOR GRIPPING THEREBY WITH THE GRIPPED ENDS OF THE SEVERED WIRE LENGTH JUXAPOSITIONED AND PROTRUDING FROM SAID CLAMPS IN A COMMON DIRECTION, WHEREBY SAID WIRE LENGTH IS ADVANCED BY SAID CONVEYOR TO SAID WORK STATION WITH BOTH ENDS OF SAID WIRE LENGTH IN POSITION TO BE WORKED UPON FROM A COMMON SIDE OF SAID CONVEYOR AND ITS PATH OF MOVEMENT. 